Aaron Miller, a former New Orleans Homeland Security director, revealed that the city simulated an attack that was eerily similar to the one conducted by Shamsud-Din Jabbar on New Year's Day and that parts of a multi-million dollar security package implemented years ago were missing in action on the fateful day.
Speaking to The Guardian, Miller said the $40 million public safety package included the cylindrical columns known as bollards, which block roads and are designed to prevent terrorists from driving into pedestrians in such events.
The bollards had been removed for repairs before the attack and missing from 11 of 16 locations, including the foot of Bourbon Street, where the incident began. Authorities said that beads thrown during the city's Carnival parades clogged the barrier system, which raises and lowers the bollards depending on authorities' needs. Construction to replace them began in November 2024.
The measures also included street surveillance cameras with bright lights and license plate readers that would alert authorities if any motorist became a person of interest. They were implemented after the 2016 attack in Nice, France, where a gunman drove through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day, killing 86 people in an attack that was claimed by the Islamic State.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar did drive through another roadblock known as wedge barrier, also part of the 2017 pan. The barrier was down on New Year's Day and was seen up again on Thursday, the day after. L-shaped barriers known as archer barriers were also not seen during the attack.
New Orleans police superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick admitted on Thursday that she didn't know the city had archer barriers at its disposal. "I didn't know about them, but we have them." Temporary substitutes such as police cars and dump trucks parked at intersections and portable gates were not enough to prevent the attack, as Jabbar drove around the cruiser, climbed the sidewalk and sped up Bourbon Street. The car only stopped after crashing against a construction lift. Jabbar died after a gunfire exchange with police.
President Biden confirmed at a White House press conference on Thursday that Jabbar acted alone and had a "remote detonator" in his vehicle that would set off bombs in ice coolers he placed around the city's French Quarter.
Originally published on Latin Times
